This chapter is very sad, so I thought I'd post it when I woke up, that way it gives everyone time to absorb it. Thank you all so much for your continued support! You're invaluable!

Robin wasn't sure how the night had gotten away from her, but the light currently piercing her vulnerable eyelids more than proved it was morning. She couldn't remember even coming home, getting into her nightgown, snuggling up next to Patrick—it was just a void, her memory. I must not have realized how tired I was, she thought to herself. She and the gang had kept up the shopping trip for the better part of the afternoon and she had barely made it to the PTA meeting. As luck would have it, she had been only one of two people to actually show up, so she had gotten to go straight home. Maybe she had fallen asleep on the couch or something. She wouldn't know until she opened her eyes.

Instantly, she realized something was wrong. She wasn't in her apartment at all, but a hospital bed. This was highly unorthodox since she didn't even have a cold not to mention the fact that she didn't remember actually coming to the hospital for any reason. Mac had cleared out the family for the night so that he and Kristina could spend some time alone with Alexis. The doctors were still skeptical about letting her leave and Robin was all the more relieved at that. Not only was she not sick, she should have been wearing clothes, not this double-breasted hospital gown. It seemed to swallow her up. The room was quiet save the consistent buzzing and beeping and whirring of the machines around her. Glancing down, she noticed an IV stuck in her right arm.

Her eyes shot from one corner of the tiny room to the other, trying to make sense of a senseless situation. Where was Patrick? And Morgan? Where was Elizabeth? And Lucky? Where was her family? You're not going to get answers by staying here, Robin told herself. If she wanted to know what was going on, she was going to have to get out of this bed and find someone who could provide her with the information she was seeking. It was a simple enough task, getting out of the bed, but her body refused to cooperate. In fact, the more she tried to throw her legs over the bed, the more her body fought back. Something was pulling. Pulling up the gown, she traced the stitches extending from one side of her stomach to the other.

Tears burned her eyes, blurred her vision, and she let them fall shamelessly. She couldn't move, couldn't speak. Resting her back against the pillow, she was startled by a nurse entering the room. "Excuse me?" She called out to her. She had seen her before, Robin remembered, but her name was escaping her mental grasp. Her hair was the color of woven black silk and her eyes were barely a shade lighter than her hair. She had a nice smile, one that, from what Robin could tell, was full of promiscuous promises.

"Are you feeling better, Robin?" The nurse wanted to know.

"What's going on? Why do I have stitches?" Robin asked gesturing toward the swollen brown slits across her flawless skin.

"It was all part of the procedure. You did such a good job. Really, I wish all of my patients were as brave as you." The nurse went on.

"Please, I don't know what's going on." Robin was barely able to voice her confusion when the door opened a second time, this time by Epiphany Johnson, the nurse who had tended to her after the car accident. "Nurse Johnson, would you mind telling me what's going on here?"

"I guess you have every right to be irritable. Nineteen hours with no drugs? I wouldn't have handled it so well. In fact, I didn't. I still tell Stan—" Nurse Johnson rambled.

"I was just telling Robin that she did an excellent job in delivery." Nurse Lee—or so her nametag broadcasted—praised her.

"Delivery?" Robin parroted stupidly. "Is this some kind of joke?" She demanded shrilly.

"Maybe she'll help refresh your memory." Nurse Lee reasoned, heading toward the door and taking something from the nurse standing there. Robin couldn't tell exactly what she was holding, but she was becoming more and more perplexed as the seconds ticked by.

"I say, that is the sweetest little baby I've ever seen." Nurse Johnson admired the tiny angel swaddled in the pink blanket, barely brushing the infant's thin brown hair away from her closed eyes.

"Sorry." Nurse Lee apologized. "We don't mean to hog her." As soon as she said the words, she turned and held out the baby for Robin to see.

"Who—who's that?" The tears were falling freely now. This was far beyond cruel. Why must they tempt her with a baby when they knew perfectly well that she couldn't conceive?

"Your daughter, Robin." Nurse Lee informed her.

"What are you talking about? I don't have a daughter." Robin insisted, her heart in her throat.

"Well we could look and see if there's another one in there if you want." Nurse Johnson offered sardonically. "I think you should give her a chance." As she said this, Nurse Lee pushed the baby into Robin's arms.

"Get her away from me!" Robin screamed trying to back away, her face contorted in pain.

"But why? She needs her mommy." Nurse Lee countered, carefully placing the baby in Robin's rigid arms. "Hold her head."

Robin stared down at the child. She was unable to wipe away the collection of tears falling down her cheeks because the baby required both of her hands. She looked like a giant compared to this little girl. Even their hands were so vastly different in size. A small patch of brown fuzz sat atop the baby's head and, stirred by the commotion, she showed Robin her matching cinnamon eyes. "Take her please." Robin begged.

"Are you getting tired?" Nurse Lee inquired, her eyes clouded over with worry.

"Don't you want to feed her?" Nurse Johnson tried to persuade her.

"I want you to take her. That's what I want you to do." Robin said again. "You've made a mistake. This isn't my baby."

"I never figured you for a paranoid person, Robin." Lucky teased from the doorway.

"Lucky? They're mistaken; please tell them." Robin's bottom lip began to tremble mercilessly.

"Mistaken about what? Damn, she looks just like you." Lucky noticed, closing the space between them and touching the baby's right fist. When she curled it around his index finger, he blushed. "That's it. I'm in love."

"Why does everyone think this is my baby?" Robin wondered, meeting each of their eyes.

"Well at least two of them were in the delivery room with you." Lucky told her. "Besides, there's no chance of them switching babies because Patrick was very stubborn about them only taking her away long enough to get a bath."

"P-Patrick?" Robin brought the baby closer to her face and breathed in her sweet baby scent. Maybe this was her baby. Maybe. But it made no sense. She wasn't able to give birth to any child. How could this be happening?

"Did I hear someone call me?" Patrick smirked, letting himself into the room. "Would you guys mind giving us a minute?"

They cleared the room as quickly as they had entered it leaving only the couple and the newborn. Robin met Patrick's eyes in search of some semblance of truth or understanding. All she found swirling in those dark hazel eyes was unabashed love. He moved closer to them and she could no longer meet his gaze. It was too hard. He was going to tell her this wasn't real.

"Isn't she perfect?" Patrick gazed down at the baby in awe.

"Patrick—"

"It's okay, honey." He assured her, touching the tip of her nose with his index finger. "They promised me that you won't always be this sore."

Robin wanted to be able to laugh at his playful tone, but she couldn't. "This—she—"

"I was in the delivery room and I still can't quite believe it either." Patrick nodded in agreement.

"She's really ours then?"

"You have to claim her babe. She looks just like you."

"This is too much." Robin admitted with a gulp.

"It'll get easier. I mean, I told you, I'm not sure what kind of parent I'll make. With you here, I'm not worried."

"Patrick…"

"Yes?"

"Nothing." Robin decided. "Do you want to hold her?"

"Are you getting tired?"

"A little." Robin told him.

"How about we sit with you until you fall asleep? Would that be alright?" Patrick offered, kissing her lips softly.

"Just what I was about to ask." Robin watched Patrick take their daughter from her and settle her carefully in his arms.

"Sleep now. We'll be here when you wake up." Patrick smiled, nuzzling her forehead with his nose.

Robin made certain to stay facing them even as she felt sleep take her hostage. She didn't want their images to fade. This was all she had ever wanted, though she hadn't realized until a freak accident threatened to take it away. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

She awoke with fresh tears on her cheeks. Turning, she reached for Patrick and was surprised to find him asleep beside her. She hadn't thought the bed that big. Blinking, she noticed that they were in their bed. She was no longer in a hospital gown. She wasn't even in the hospital anymore, but their bedroom. Jerking upwards, she searched the room for the baby girl she had just held. But the room looked as it had the day before. She stumbled off of the mattress and tried to find something that would serve as a bassinet. There wasn't even a toy or a pacifier. There was no evidence that a baby had ever resided here.

Patrick was startled awake by a scream. Sliding off of the mattress, he crawled over to Robin. Wiping a hand down his face to try and fight through his exhaustion, he used his free hand to pull her into his embrace. She surrendered to him and shook in his arms, the words she spoke not making sense. He pressed her face to his shoulder and rocked her. "Robin? Robin, honey, what's the matter?"

Robin found no comfort in Patrick's arms. These were the same arms that had held their imaginary daughter only moments before. Bending in half, she continued to cry, to scream. It wasn't right to dream such a thing night after night! And she never had any warning because they were always different. One time she had woken up in the car after the wreck and found Morgan dead. The time before that she had held Elizabeth and Lucky's child in her arms, coming to terms with the fact that she would never get to hold her own. She could no longer breathe. Her quickened breath only worked to initiate a cough that started in her throat and worked all the way through her shaking body.

"Whatever it is, I can fix it." Patrick whispered into her hair, feeling useless.

"No you can't!" Robin shouted at him. "You can't fix it!"

"Did you have a bad dream?" Patrick guessed.

"A living nightmare." Robin clarified, pushing to her feet only to have him follow her movement.

"It was just a dream." Patrick tried to comfort her, but it was obvious she wasn't going to let him near her right now.

"It wasn't a dream!" Robin snapped angrily. "It was a reality!"

"Start from the beginning." Patrick encouraged, anxiety clear in his eyes as well as his tone.

"I can't." Robin murmured.

"You can't? Oh, honey, yes you can." Patrick argued, touching her shoulders and turning her to face him.

"I have to tell you something else first." Robin countered, hanging her head.

"Tell me then." Patrick ordered, lifting her chin with his thumb.

"I can't have children." The quiet admission sent Robin tumbling to her knees. Patrick managed to hold her up and make her look at him.

"You already have a child." Patrick reasoned.

"I mean, I can't conceive a child, Patrick." Robin clarified.

"Is that what the nightmare was about?"

"Yes and no. In the dream, I gave birth to our child…a child we're never going to be able to have." Robin told him brokenly.

"Did you find this out recently?" Patrick treaded carefully.

"No. Almost seven months ago." Robin explained.

"The car accident?" Her silence was the only answer he received.

"I'm sorry." Robin whispered.

"What are you sorry for?" Patrick asked incredulously.

"I was driving. If I had been paying closer attention—" Robin closed her eyes, fighting her own share of demons.

"Damn it Robin, they labeled that accident as just that." Patrick reminded her. "You were no more to blame than anyone else."

"But that one moment has impacted both of our lives!" Robin shot back.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Patrick muttered, burying his face in her hair. "I could have helped you come to terms with it."

"I don't want to come to terms with it!" Robin countered, shaking her head furiously. "This is never going to be okay for me."

"And I've just made it worse with my assumptions." Patrick chided himself.

"No, you've been wonderful." Robin promised him. "There's no way you could have known."

"Were you afraid to tell me?" There was no denying the hurt in his voice.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It took us so long to get to this place." Robin explained. "I didn't want to ruin it."

"You should have told me." Patrick groaned.

"I didn't know how." Robin sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. Patrick followed her down. "I didn't know how to tell you that, by being with me, you'd never be able to be a father."

"I never said I wanted to be a father." Patrick recalled.

"But I saw how you reacted to thinking I was pregnant. You may not think you want to be a father, but if I had been pregnant, I know you would have wanted to be a part of its life."

"I would have wanted to be more than that."

"Anyway, it doesn't matter now. It's never going to happen."

"There's always adoption."

"No."

"Why not? You adopted Morgan and that seems to have worked out perfectly for both of you. There are plenty of unwanted babies out there—"

"Patrick, you're not listening to me." Robin met his eyes. "No one is going to give a baby to an HIV positive single woman."

"You're not single." Patrick countered.

"I'm a health risk. There's no way—"

"The State obviously thinks you're capable enough to take care of Morgan."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Robin muttered sadly.

"We need to talk about it." Patrick reminded her.

"Not tonight. I don't want to talk about it." Robin whimpered.

"Hey? Okay. Okay, we don't have to do this anymore tonight. Please don't cry." Patrick begged, hugging her to him. "Are you tired?"

"Yes, but I don't want to sleep." Robin told him. "Don't let me sleep tonight Patrick. Please?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Robin touched her lips to his. "Make love to me please."

Patrick cradled her face in his hands, his gaze never wavering. "Come here."